A new coin arrived today. An Empress, which are in short supply in my collection. Herrenia Etruscilla, wife of Trajan Decius. 249-251 AD. AR Antoninianus Obverse: HER ETRVSCILLA AVG. Diademed and draped bust right on crescent. Reverse: PVDICITIA AVG. Pudicitia seated left holding sceptre and drawing veil from her face. Slightly weak reverse die strike. RIC IV 59b. Hunter 5; RSC 19 Rome mint, A.D. 250. 3,8 g – 20,5 mm Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla was Roman empress as the wife of Emperor Decius. She was the mother of Emperors Herennius Etruscus and Hostilian. As with most third-century Roman empresses, very little is known about her. She was probably from a senatorial family. It is assumed that her ancestors settled in Etrusian lands. Herennia married Decius probably before 230and gained the title Augusta when Decius became emperor 249. While information about her is scarce, coins with her portrait are numerous and easy to obtain. Please add your comments, coins of Herennia or anything related.
Does anyone know when the earliest Pudicitia reverse of this type was produced? Seems like it was used at least as early as the Adoptive Period, for Empresses Faustina and Sabina. I have photos of two Herennia Etruscilla coins, both of this type, but I think I sold them. (I keep most of my coins in the safety deposit box so I can't be sure without checking...) Here's one of her son, Herennius Etruscus: And an Adventus Antoninianus for her husband, Trajan Decius: To round out the family tree, here's a Sestertius (15.12g, 27-30mm, 12h) of their other son, Hostilian, that I've had for a long time but never photographed before: This next one was purchased from Harlan Berk BBS 215, Lot 210. It's not described as such, but I strongly suspect it's from the Bill Behnen Collection of Trajan Decius and Family. (It's listed as ex-C. Blom, 3 Feb 1964, which is where & when Behnen bought a lot of his Decius coins.) For those interested in the coinage of Herennia Etruscilla, Trajan Decius, and their sons Herennius Etruscus and Hostilian, I recommend perusing Bill Behnen Collection of the Decii, cataloged by Curtis Clay and sold in several sales by HJB 2017-2018: Gemini XIII, Gemini XIV, and, for the Provincials, HJB 201 and HJB 202 (unfortunately the catalog isn't online, only the lots, 351-396).
